- President Ranil Wickremesinghe has given directives to implement a formal program aimed at maintaining essential services and public services seamlessly during the upcoming Sinhala and Tamil New Year (Avurudu) season. This initiative is intended to guarantee the smooth operation of essential services without any disruptions during the festive season.
- Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Leader MP Sajith Premadasa is ready to participate in a debate against National Peoples Power (NPP) Leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the SJB announced yesterday. Addressing the media, SJB MP Harsha de Silva said the party leader was ready to face off with NPP’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake for a debate on economic policies.
- Sri Lankan actress Damitha Abeyratne and her husband were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The arrest came after the couple, who had been wanted by the CID, appeared before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court earlier. The CID is currently carrying out an investigation into Abeyratne and her husband, in relation to their involvement in an alleged money scam.
- Colombo District Court issued an interim injunction preventing former President Maithripala Sirisena from functioning as the chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). The order was delivered following a complaint filed by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.
- Sri Lanka Education Ministry’s website has been breached by an unidentified hacker. The intruder, going by the moniker “Anonymous EEE,” left a message apologizing for the unauthorized access while highlighting security flaws in the system. Claiming to be a concerned citizen and A-Level student, the hacker emphasized the breach was reported in the interest of national safety.
- The Ministry of Health has decided to launch an immediate investigation in search of the fake doctors and illegal medical centres operative in the country. This decision has been taken after taking into account the complaints received regarding the matter.
- Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha states that efforts are underway to release the results of the 2023 G.C.E. Advanced Level examination in the beginning of May. Furthermore, the Minister expressed that the timetable have already been prepared to hold the 2023 G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination in mid-May.
- Approximately 75,000 Sri Lankan workers have emigrated to foreign countries within the first three months of 2024, according to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE). The bureau said as many as 74,499 Sri Lankans left the country in the first quarter of the year as opposed to 76,025 in 2023. Among them, 34,599 were women and it is 46% of the total number.
- The Commission to Investigation Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) has filed a case with the Colombo High Court against the former Chairman and the former Managing Director of ‘Laksala’, Sri Lanka’s state-owned handicraft marketing organization, over alleged corruption charges.
- Two pacers from Ireland and New Zealand respectively are joined by Sri Lanka all-rounder Kamindu Mendis on the shortlist for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for March 2024.
